


Potions and Contemplations

by purplewibble



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Chronicles
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Female Harry Potter, Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, Potions, first fanfic, hints of romance, i forget if harry wears contacts when she's herself, murkybluematter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27640546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplewibble/pseuds/purplewibble
Summary: Snippet of Harry and Caelum spending a summer afternoon brewing potions together.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Caelum Lestrange, Harry Potter/Caelum Lestrange
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	Potions and Contemplations

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Murkybluematter's wonderful Rigel Black Chronicles series on fanfiction.net.

It came as no surprise when Harry found herself stirring away at another potions batch in the Potter potion lab on a quiet midsummer afternoon. The last cauldron of Potter’s Protection Potion was nearly done and needed roughly fifteen more minutes before being bottled and shipped off to Krait’s shop that evening. At that point, she was working solely on muscle memory and went into deep thought to envision a new potions project to occupy the rest of her summer.

Harry’s Shaped Imbuing technique had opened up a new realm of possibilities and one she had been itching to try was improving the household Skele-Gro potion. The current recipe was fine; inexpensive enough to mass produce for St. Mungo’s and its effects remained as reliable as ever. No, the issue was the time it took for bones to be mended or regrown. 

Compared to other magical treatments, Skele-Gro was slow-working and put its patients in a state of low fever and the constant sensation of having large splinters lodged in the muscle surrounding the injury. If she could somehow increase the rate of healing and perhaps decrease the fever-inducing infection, then the wizarding world would be better off. Especially Quidditch players or aurors, who tend to amass a significant amount of bone injuries, would appreciate the days of decommission. Harry’s own father had to take a day off every now and then for a bone break that required Skele-Gro.

Using the _Ossium Emendo_ incantation would work well for a Skele-Gro base and she had a few ideas for other changes she could experiment with. Imbuing the spell itself could increase the healing rate, but such a broad spell could react with certain magical ingredients.

The typical use of the healing incantation would be to identify the area of the body containing the bone injury to use the appropriate variation of the spell and tacking on "Emendo” to complete it. The spell itself wasn’t overly difficult and only required the level of magic a fourth year could produce, but it was notoriously tricky to get right. An improperly executed _Brackium Emendo_ could overpower the spell and vanish the targeted bone rather than merely repairing it. It was one of the various reasons Skele-Gro was invented and was more widely used over the bone-mending spell.

Harry figured she could replace the current recipe’s emulsifier with cod liver oil, which had the bonus of vitamin D to help blood intake more calcium used to build up bone minerals. Since bones were largely composed of protein, she could also find a better source of protein than chimera milk, another magical component of the potion that might be destabilized by Shaped Imbuing. Soy milk has the most percentage of protein, but in a medical setting, too many patients could have soy allergies for it to be widely used. Maybe oat milk would be more suitable, or milk from a different creature magical or otherwise that wouldn’t interfere with the massive amount of nettle leaves.

As Harry was mentally sifting through Skele-Gro ingredients, her gaze drifted off in contemplation and she had been unknowingly staring at a fellow potioneer who was working on his own cauldron of Potter’s Protection Potion.

Caelum Lestrange was carefully adding the meticulously sliced boomslang skin to his boiling cauldron when he sensed a set of eyes in his direction. He looked up from his cauldron to send a glare and a scalding comment about how bloody brats should concentrate on their own cauldron when his was brewing perfectly, probably more so than its inventor, but he was drawn into her intense emerald gaze.

Potter, for all the half-bloodedness of the chit, had the most unnerving eyes that could only be described as glowing with power. Everyone knew that Harry inherited her mother’s eyes, but less known was the magical stores she also inherited from her mother, if the rumors about Lily Evans in Hogwarts were true.

It was a pity her blood was tainted because she would never be truly accepted into proper pureblood society. Then again, what did Potter’s blood status mean when she had upended Potions Theory as they knew it with her novel brewing technique and countless other inventions and ideas? Caelum was begrudgingly impressed by her work and talent for potions as any true potioneer would, not that he’d ever let anyone know that. The brat would probably crow with delight at ever receiving a compliment from an individual superior as himself.

His eyes drifted to the rest of her face and the strange, but striking mix of masculine and feminine features. Green eyes were decorated by delicate lashes and drew attention to her upturned nose. High cheekbones gracefully structured her face and juxtaposed her strong jaw that hinted at a stubborn nature. The edges came to a narrow chin and the lips above them were the right shape to compliment, the right fullness for a caress or even a searing kiss—fuck, not this again.

“Potter, I know my pureblood face is more than attractive enough to enthrall you, but I’m out of your league in any case and you’re not up to my standards.”

Harry snapped out of her potions contemplation and was amused by the annoyed look on Caelum’s face. “But I’m more than up to your standards for potions counsel, huh?” she teased."I'm sure those are the only ones that count anyway."

“Shut up, brat. I’m only here because you offered, and I had nothing better to do.”

“Oh, so you weren’t asking for my help in learning Shaped Imbuing and begging for my notes on it?”

“Fuck off, Potter.”

She was outright amused now as a grin stretched across her face. He was just too easy to play with and it was a bonus that his face retained its good looks even when scrunched up into a sneer. Harry wasn’t going to lie to herself, Caelum Lestrange was a handsome specimen. Unfairly so. It wasn’t like she hadn’t caught herself staring at the face he made whenever her concentrated on brewing or the fondness she felt whenever he grunted in satisfaction for a potion step done perfectly.

“Don’t worry Caelum! I’m always willing to help a fellow potioneer and dear friend,” Harry reassured cheerily.

“Get that look off your face, brat. We’re not friends and your cheap-arse cauldron is nearly bubbling over, nothing less than you deserve...uppity chit.” Caelum muttered the last part as he regained his composure and turned back to his brewing.

Harry snickered at that remark. Her potion was doing perfectly fine, with a minute or so more of stirring, as if she could mess up Potter’s Protection Potion after spending the year brewing the entire stock selling at the Serpent’s Stockroom. She knew that recipe like the soles of her potion brewing boots. After another glance at her companion, Harry went back to perusing the potion ideas that had swirled around in her mind.

For all of his abrasive and offensive words, she found herself gladdened by his presence. She could get used to the academic atmosphere and the comfort it provided, knowing her passion for potions was shared by another.


End file.
